What it's like to get in touch

When you call us on 0800 1111 you’ll come through to our switchboard. This is where someone friendly will ask if you want to speak to a counsellor. If you log in for a 1-2-1 counsellor chat online, you might wait a little while before being connected with a counsellor. You can also send us an email from your locker.

We know it can sometimes be scary talking to counsellors. Especially for the first time. You might be unsure about what to say or how they'll react. Or wonder who they are?

They're a bunch of different people, some old and some young. They all work for us in the UK but many come from different countries like Poland, Ghana, Australia, India, China, France and other places. They have all sorts of hobbies and interests. But most importantly, they all care about young people and give up some of their time to volunteer as counsellors.

You can also ask them their name if you like and they'll tell you their first name.

Usually a phone call lasts 30 minutes and a 1-2-1 counsellor chat lasts around 40 minutes. But this could be less or more depending on what help you need. If you need to contact us again, we'll always be here for you.

Call us on 0800 1111. Calls are free from landlines and mobiles in the UK. And they won't show up on your phone bill. Even if you don't have credit on your mobile phone you can still call us for free.

Live in the Channel Islands?Calls may be chargeable from mobiles and the number will appear on your mobile bill. To call us free from the Channel Islands, try using a landline or phone box. Or contact a counsellor online using 1-2-1 counsellor chat.

Calling from abroad?If you go abroad and need to contact Childline, you might be charged. But you can still get support and advice from our website.

Calls are not recorded and our number won't show up on any phone bills. Counsellors write some notes about what you tell them. They also keep notes for 1-2-1 counsellor chats and emails and save copies of what you’ve said in a chat or email. These notes stay safe at Childline.

They keep notes to help understand what you’re going through and support you if you contact us again. It can also make it easier for us to get help to you if you’re in danger.

Live in the Channel Islands?Calls may be chargeable from mobiles and the number will appear on your mobile bill. To call us free from the Channel Islands, try using a landline or phone box. Or contact us by 1-2-1 counsellor chat online.

If you can, try to call back after 7.30am. In the morning a counsellor can spend more time with you.

In the meantime, if you can't talk to a trusted adult about your worries, you might find it helpful to get support from other young people on our message boards. Or try writing everything down in an email to a counsellor while it's on your mind. They'll reply within 24 hours.

You could also look at our letters to Sam. There may be one about a worry that's similar to yours.

It can sometimes take a while to get through to 1-2-1 counsellor chat during the night because we have fewer counsellors than normal. When you do get through to a counsellor at night, they may ask some questions about your safety.

It's sometimes easier to get through by phoning us on 0800 1111. There might still be a wait, so in an emergency you should phone 999

We don't offer a full Welsh speaking counselling service. But we do have some Welsh speaking counsellors. If you contact us (by phone or online) and let us know you'd like to talk to someone in Welsh we can arrange a time for you to speak to a Welsh speaking counsellor.

Need help but you're not in the UK?

Childline is a UK charity and we only have counsellors in this country. This means we can only support young people in the UK. And only young people in the UK can sign up for an account and use the 1-2-1 counsellor chat, email and message boards on our site.

But all young people can read our advice and use the rest of our site.

From 15th June 2017, you won’t have to pay roaming charges if you’re travelling in the EU. So you can keep visiting the Childline website. If you’re not sure about this, it’s best to speak to your parent or carer or check with your mobile provider.

Got cut off or had to go?

If you get cut off or need to end a call or chat suddenly, you can call back or log in for another 1-2-1 counselor chat. It helps to let the counsellor know you got cut off before. If you were talking about something serious like getting help with self-harm or suicidal thoughts, it’s important to let the counsellor know if you feel safe or not. If you need urgent help you can always call 999.

Childline is a free number, so anyone can call us at any time. Every young person who contacts us is important and we do our best to answer every call as quickly as possible.

A small number of people, often adults, call us for reasons other than getting help or support. We try to stop these calls and help them get support from other places. But sometimes these callers still try to phone Childline again and again. Sometimes so much that it can stop young people getting through.

Because of this we put a limit on the number of times someone can call us from the same phone number in a single day. This is 10 calls in a 24 hour period.

If you do call us more than 10 times in a 24 hour period you'll hear a message telling you that you can’t call for another 24 hours.

We do our best to answer every call as soon as possible. Sometimes having to wait to get through to a counsellor can be difficult. But it’s best to stay on the line if you can. Hanging up and calling back means you’ll go to the back of the queue.